


Everyone knows he doesn’t have a girlfriend, Julian

by glassneko



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Angst, Background Odo/Quark, Bad Communication, Complete, Cute, Drinking, Everyone has advice, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Garak is a flirt, Happy Ending, Husbands, I literally didn't know this pairing existed a week ago, Idiots in Love, If they just talked to each other this fic wouldn't even exist, Julian Bashir is an idiot, Last To Know, M/M, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Mutual Pining, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Oblivious, Oblivious Julian Bashir, Old Married Couple, One Shot, Pining Elim Garak, Slow Burn, Slow realization, Sweet, UST, Unrequited Love, bad at feelings, drinking too much, everyone knows they're in love, except them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:59:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29297769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glassneko/pseuds/glassneko
Summary: A new law has been established, and all Cardassians must leave the station—unless they are married to a member of Starfleet. No one thinks this will be a problem for Garak, except for Julian, who wants to help in the worst way possible and is somehow ruining everything.
Relationships: Julian Bashir/Elim Garak, Odo/Quark (Star Trek)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 77





	Everyone knows he doesn’t have a girlfriend, Julian

"Doctor—Julian. Have you heard the news?" Their chat has had a nervous energy all lunch, and Garak finally raises his courage to broach the topic.

"No, what's happening?"

"There's a new ruling from Bajor due to the recent diplomatic unpleasantness. Unfortunately, they have declared that all Cardassians must leave DS9."

"What! But this is your home! You've been here for years!"

"It appears that the only way for someone to stay would be if they were married to a member of Starfleet."

"That is unfortunate. You're not even dating anyone from Starfleet."

A tight smile slowly stretches across Garak's face without reaching his eyes.

"On that matter, yours is the only opinion that counts." Garak says cryptically.

"There's got to be some way!"

"Alas, I’m sure you understand why I must cut our lunch short. I must begin to set the store ready to sell.” Garak stands up, leaving his mostly uneaten meal.

“Oh, oh yes, of course. But I’m going to look into this! Why don’t we find someone to marry you?” A flicker of hope lights in Garak's chest.

“Who would you have in mind, Doctor?”

“There’s tons of eligible members of Starfleet!” And the spark goes out as quickly as it came.

“Ahem. Doctor. I would not be comfortable marrying someone for convenience.”

“But, they shouldn’t be able to just kick you out like this! It’s not fair!”

“Well, other people don’t always see things the way we’d like.”

Garak is gone before Julian can respond.

*

“Ah, I was expecting you.” Commander Sisko looks up from his paperwork as Garak walks in to his office. “Now, I believe my assistant has already emailed both of you the forms, and—I’m getting ahead of myself—I presume congratulations are in order?”

Garak's face is locked in a placid smile, and Sisko can’t read the man at the best of times, but something does feel off.

Garak clears his throat.

“I came to ensure that everything would be in order for my departure.”

“Garak, if you’re worried about approval, I can assure you that I will sign off on the marriage. You’ll have multiple senior officers as witness that it won’t be some sort of immigration fraud.”

Garak sighs and briefly closes his eyes.

“I understand there is only a week’s grace period, which is a terribly short time frame to sell everything and organise transport, so you’ll understand why I’m in a rush to ensure everything is in order to leave.”

“Yes, but I thought... I mean we all thought... You’re not staying then, I take it?”

“Unfortunately, that would require marriage to a member of star fleet. And, alas, that does not appear to be in the cards.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No need. Perhaps, if I have been wasting my time, it is better to get a fresh start.”

“I see.”

“I trust your assistant can send me the export forms I will require.”

“Of course.”

*

“That’s a close call with Garak! I don’t like seeing them around, but even I can agree he shouldn’t be kicked out. Damn Cardassian’s lucky he’s got you!” Kira smiles at Julian.

“Not in this case! I can’t do anything!” Julian is exasperated.

Major Kira takes a step back.

“What do you mean?”

“The only way for him to stay is marriage! And he doesn’t even have a girlfriend!”

“Well, everyone knows he doesn’t have a girlfriend, Julian.”

“Do you think we could ask Commander Sisko for a special dispensation or something? There’s got to be some way to keep him here!”

“Well I mean... there’s the obvious.”

“He said he wouldn’t even consider a ‘marriage of convenience’ when I suggested finding someone for him.”

“Finding someone... Wait. Julian. Did he not ask you?”

“Ask me to help? No! He seems resigned! Which is most unlike the Garak I know.”

*

Garak sits down heavily at the bar. Quark is there in a flash, profit dancing in his eyes. 

“Do I hear wedding bells?” He grins, “now, I understand there’s a rushed time frame, but rush equals extra costs! Depending on what day you choose, and how many people you’re inviting, I’ll have to cancel up to twelve reservations, you know! I do have an excellent line on imported Klingon lilies—don’t let the name fool you, they are lovely!”

“Quark.” Garak states softly but firmly, slowing the endless tide of babble. “What I need from you is help in finding a buyer for my shop, and a stiff drink.”

*

“Commander Sisko, I must speak with you!” Now, this, Sisko was not expecting.

“Doctor Bashir, how can I help you?”

“This Cardassian ruling! It’s absurd! They can’t kick out law abiding citizens for no reason! It’s prejudice!”

“I agree with you, but there is not much I can do. The Bajoran government has that right.”

“Can’t you grant him a special consideration or something?”

“It’s not... out of the picture. But it would be a diplomatic nightmare, and he would have to request it himself.”

“Well alright then! Let's get it started!”

“Julian slow down. Garak already spoke to me. He seems decided to leave.”

Sisko pauses. “And the council would expect him to explain why he doesn’t have a spouse after so long if he’s supposedly so well integrated into the community.”

“Well he spends all his time with me.”

Sisko takes a minute to carefully pick his phrasing. “And why do you think he chooses to spend his time that way?”

“Well, I’m part of the community!”

“Is that enough?”

*

Odo suddenly appears beside Quark at the bar right as Quark starts to clue in.

“So, you’re saying... no wedding? No open bar tab? No generous wedding tippers? No emotionally vulnerable bridesmaids?”

“Quark.” Odo warns.

“This is awful!” Quark wails, and Garak raises one eyebrow dryly. “I’m going to have to cancel those Klingon lilies! I’ll never get my deposit back!” He rushes off yelling for Rom.

Garak sighs and looks at Odo, who pours him a drink.

“Major Kira told me that Doctor Bashir was looking for a way to help you stay on DS9. Since the most obvious route appeared to be off the table, I thought I might find you here.”

“And you thought you’d keep an eye on me to make sure there’s no funny business before I leave?”

“I thought, that, while you have been our local paragon of Cardassian citizenship, your interpersonal connections have been limited apart from Doctor Bashir, and that you might be in need of someone to drink with.”

“Do you even drink?”

“Well, no. But I know how to commiserate.”

Quark returns from the back room muttering. “Now, where were we? Odo! Are you giving away my good liquor!”

Odo levels him a directed glare.

“Well, I mean, one drink on the house, given the circumstances. What happened Garak? We all assumed this was a perfect solution for you.”

“It seems that Doctor Bashir did not even see the solution, and thus it was not so perfect as one might have hoped.”

“He said no?”

“I did not even have the chance to ask. In fact, he suggested we go looking together for a nice eligible member of Starfleet.”

Quark and Odo grimace in unison.

*

“Is what enough? I don’t think I quite get what you mean, Commander Sisko?” Julian has been confused all day at everyone’s reactions. No one, least of all Garak, has responded to this in the way he would have predicted.

“Why don’t you go talk to Dax about this. I feel that she may be able to help you more than I.” Sisko awkwardly ushers Julian from his office.

It feels like everyone can see something he can’t. He checks his email as he walks to Dax. A marriage form sent this morning? Garak is the one who needs that, not him. Julian kicks himself that he never made a move and now it appears to be too late. And worse, Garak doesn’t even seem to care!Why does no one else seem to think this is a big deal! Sure he’s a Cardassian, but Garak has proven his loyalty to this station time and again! Why shouldn’t he be allowed to stay! Julian wants him to stay. He doesn’t want to lose him.

Julian had thought Garak would always be here. Always just on the edge of that flirting that Julian had never quite worked up the courage to respond to in the way that he really wanted. But maybe Sisko’s right. Garak deserved more than a coward for a friend. He deserved a relationship with someone he truly loved, and not just someone too scared to do more than hang around. Someone who backed away every time things started to get to close to real.

Julian is lost in thought when he reaches Dax‘s lab.

“Julian.” 

“Ah, Dax! I was looking for you.”

“Sisko said I should talk to you. What’s going on? Is this about Garak?”

“He has to leave!”

“I thought there was an exception clause.”

“Only for marriage!”

“And you’re not there yet?”

“He said he wouldn’t marry for convenience.”

“You asked him for a marriage of convenience?”

“Well, not me, I suggested we could find him someone.”

“You told Garak that you would help him find... someone else to marry? How did he take it?”

“He wouldn’t even consider it! And I asked Sisko if he would give a special dispensation but he said Garak wants to leave, and he’s not responding to my messages, and I don’t know what else to do!”

“Oh Julian. What a mess." Dax stands up and pulls Julian into a hug. "Why don’t you want to marry Garak?”

“Well, I mean... that would be presuming a lot, wouldn’t it?”

“Would it?”

“I mean, that would change everything.”

“Would that be a bad thing?”

“Well he doesn’t want that, I mean, I get that he flirts all the time, I’m not blind, but it doesn’t mean anything for real.”

“How do you know if you’ve never asked?”

“Well, I mean, eventually, it was going to come up, but this is so sudden and he’s leaving, so he clearly doesn’t care, so...”

“Let’s back up a step here. So, you’ve been avoiding having a real conversation with someone who you like, who has given you every indication that they like you, and then you suggested that they marry someone else—to someone who is delicately tuned to pick up subtle signals—and now you’re wondering why he doesn’t want to stay?”

“Oh.”

Dax just waits.

“Oh, I pretty much just told him I was not interested, didn't I.”

“You pretty much just told him you would never be interested.”

“But that’s not necessarily true!”

“Well you better figure it out quickly, Julian. You don’t have the luxury of waiting for this to sort itself out.”

“Oh Dax, I’ve really fucked this up, haven’t I. What an I going to do?”

“Just, whatever you decide, be gentle.”

Julian’s mind runs in circles and the only thing he can determine is that he’s got to have an honest conversation with Garak. Who is nowhere to be found. His store is closed, his apartment is empty, and he’s not in Quark’s bar.

He can’t even find Odo in the security office to tell him where he might be. And he’s still not replying to Julian’s increasingly urgent messages.

Finally he settles in the bar, figuring that eventually someone will know something, but even Quark seems to be avoiding him, when he’s even present, which isn’t often. Julian makes up his mind and corners Quark as he darts out of the back room.

“Quark! I need to speak to you!”

“Well, what can I do for you?”

“Have you seen Garak?”

“Fucking Odo, giving away my top shelf fucking bottle, it’s not right is what it is, where’s the profit in that!”

“Quark!”

“He is indisposed at the moment, can I pass along a message?”

“I need to speak with him Quark, is he here?” Julian furtively searches the room.

“As I said, he is indisposed, but I will let him know you dropped by." Quark moves to slip past him and Julian grabs his shoulders.

"Quark!"

"What!"

"Quark. Where is he?"

"He's in a private room with Odo. But he's been drinking, I don't know if this is the best time." Quark pauses. 

"He's with Odo?" Julian balks; an unexpected torrent of jealousy flashes through him.

"He's not  _with_ Odo, good god! Look, Julian. He puts on a good face, but he's pretty torn up. Maybe just let him be for tonight?"

"No, it's... I have to clear this up."

"Good luck with that." Quark murmurs. "Second room on the right."

Julian hears them before he gets to the door.

"Do you know I had four different people today ask me, unprompted, when the date was? Or whether they were invited?" Julian can hear Odo grunt in response.

"I didn't even know what to say. I just told them they must have misunderstood something.

"Which is fair, considering how gravely I misunderstood."

Julian can hear emotion in Garak's voice that he's never heard before. He's normally so composed and intentional about every impression he gives off. Which should have been a bigger clue to Julian in hindsight.

"Did you know we went to the tea festival last year? We took a trip for the whole weekend! I should have taken the hint then, he still wouldn't even sit on my bed for a drink."

Julian remembers that trip. He remembers desperately wanting to be able to casually sit down next to Garak and instead overthinking and pacing around the room.

Garak had done everything right. He'd flirted but been a perfect gentleman and Julian had let every opportunity pass by. Looking back, that had happened a lot. No wonder Garak was fed up with waiting. Julian had been treating him like a back-up plan that he could just keep on the shelf until he was ready.

Well, no more. Time to step up and let chips fall where they may. 

He knocks on the door.

"Occupied," calls out Odo.

"It's me—it's Julian." He can imagine Odo turning to Garak for a response.

"Garak will have some free time for coffee tomorrow," Odo starts.

"No, look, can I come in? I need to talk now." He slowly opens the door, revealing Odo as prim as ever, and Garak, looking undone for the first time Julian's ever seen, lounging on a couch.He looks disheveled, and it unnerves Julian to see him this way.

"Doctor." He smiles broadly for a second before it drops.

"Odo, can we have a minute?" Odo nods and steps out, closing the door behind him.

"Can I pour you a drink?"

"No, that's—I mean—what the hell, yes."

"Drinks all round!" Garak raises the almost empty bottle. "Except for Odo. He doesn't drink, you know." He leans to the side conspiratorially, "shape shifter."

"Yes." Julian takes the drink. "Garak, I need to apologise."

"Nothing to apologise for my boy! You didn't write the rules!"

"No, Garak just, please listen to me." Julian sits down on one of the arm chairs across from Garak.

"I've been treating you terribly and I want to apologise."

"Nonsense! I've enjoyed our friendship, I'll miss our lunches and debates."

"What I mean is, it wasn't fair of me to never be clear with you, when I knew what you wanted."

"Julian. Please." Garak has a very strained smile on as he meets Julian's eyes. "This is not helpful." He says slowly. "I understand, and I will be fine. We can still be friends."

"No, I'm screwing this up.I'm trying to say that I like you! I always have. You were just so on another level, you always seemed like you knew what you were doing and I didn't want to ruin things!"

Garak continues to smile placidly.

"But, I want to give things a try for real!"

"That's very nice Doctor, but the timing is a bit unfortunate, these things happen, things don't always line up."

"Ah, what am I saying? I don't want to date you."

Garak's smile tenses tighter as Julian continues. "What I mean is, I know what it's like to date you already, we've practically been doing that for years. Which. Apparently everyone knew but me."

Garak lets out the slightest snort of laughter at that.

"I'm trying to say that I do know you, and I do like you. And I don't want you to leave because I like spending time with you every day. And spending my lunch with you every day, and getting dinner, and going to festivals and on trips with you, and discussing literature with you, and watching you work when you're in the zone and you haven't even noticed I'm there, and seeing you dressed impeccably in the latest styles that fit your body perfectly, and helping you when you get up to a plan even though you never tell me what's going on, and sometimes, when everything's gone crazy but I look at you and we know we're going to work together and get through it. And I always know you have my back. And I have yours, although, I probably have never made that clear. And just sitting with you after. After the station has been in mortal peril or someone has tried to destroy the peace but it's been fixed, and just knowing that there's no one else I'd want to be with through the bad times or the good. And I guess, I love you?"

Garak's eyes are wide now, and his fake smile is gone.

"Oh my god, I love you Elim. Now that I've said it out loud, I can't even deny it. It's so obvious. I love you. Oh my god, and I've waited too long and I've ruined everything, and you hate me now and you're going to leave because I'm such an idiot."

"Julian." Garak tries to put his thoughts in order, which is no small task considering how heavily he has been trying to drink them out of his head all night. 

"Julian. I could never hate you." He wishes there were water in the room for the first time because his mouth is now so dry.

"But I don't understand the point of all of these very nice words, because I still have to leave in a week."

"Don't. Don't go. I love you and I want you to stay. With me. I want you to marry me. If... If you love me and you want to that is. Will you... marry me, that is? You can move in with me, or I'll move in with you. We don't even have to stay on the station, if you don't want, if you're not ready to get married, I'll go with you and we can take our time, and take it slow and—"

"Julian." Garak interrupts the rambling. "How long have we known each other?"

"Umm, seven years?"

"I, for one, think that's slow enough."

"Will you say yes then? I know this isn't the most romantic proposal but I'll get you a ring—I'll get you the nicest—"

"I..." Garak feels queasy. "I think..." He brings his hand to his mouth.

"Excuse me." He lunges for the potted tree in the corner as the alcohol gets the better of him.

"Not my plants again!" Quark bursts through the door, clearly having been eavesdropping on the other side. "I just had those re-potted!" Odo presents a bucket to Garak and helps him to his feet to stumble to the washroom. "What a waste of my good liquor! Two full bottles of the stuff! He's lucky he's not dead! Damn Cardassian constitutions." Quark continues mumbling as he drags the plant out of the room, leaving Julian alone for a minute with the whirlwind of his thoughts.

Had he just confessed love to Garak and asked him to marry him? How did this happen? And how did he never notice before? He realises he's grinning like a loon. He's in love! He's ridiculously in love with the dangerous, argumentative, infuriating, secretive, mysterious, handsome, intelligent, considerate, caring, plain and simple Garak.

"Would you wipe that grin off your face and help me clean up! He hasn't even said yes yet." Quark has re-entered the room with a mop, but the rest of the room appears to be clean, save for the used bottles and glasses.

"Quark!" Julian looks at him with new eyes. "Do you think he'll say yes?"

"Yes, you idiot. Because for some reason, he thinks you hung the stars, even though you couldn't find them with a map! I'm glad to see you came to your senses. You earned me 1 bar of gold-pressed latinum because Odo thought you wouldn't figure it out until after he left. I guess I'm just a romantic at heart."

Odo walks into the room. "He's passed out. I don't think you're going to get much more out of him tonight. I'll help you carry him back to his room and put him to bed. You can talk more in the morning."

*

Julian wakes up with a crick in his neck and a headache. This is why he never touches Cardassian liquor... Even the smallest amount always does him in the next day... He can't understand how Garak can drink so much of it—Garak! 

He tries to jump up and rolls to the floor, finding himself tangled in a blanket beside Garak's couch. 

He frees himself. What time is it? He's late for work but his messages show that Odo called in sick for him.

He's suddenly nervous. More nervous than he gave himself the chance to be yesterday. What if Garak says no? What if it's too late and he's lost his chance? 

What if Garak is dead from alcohol poisoning and it's all his fault?

He quietly walks to the bedroom door and opens it slowly to see Garak blearily open his eyes.

"You don't have to get up, I didn't mean to wake you."

"No, I'm awake now." Garak's instincts won't let him sleep with someone moving in his space.

"Can I get you anything? Some water?"

Julian has spent lots of time in Garak's quarters watching movies and playing games and debating, so he has no trouble finding a glass, and only now does he realise that he feels weird only because he feels so comfortable.

It would be bizzare to not be able to visit Garak or have him come over.

"Thank you." Garak takes the glass.

"How are you feeling? I've never seen you drink like that before."

"You must excuse me, I normally don't allow such terrible behavior from myself."

"No, it felt real. To see another side of you."

"Not a very flattering one, I suppose." Garak is staring into the water glass.

"I don't want to harass you when you're just waking up, but I'm dying here." Garak looks up. "Do you remember what we talked about last night?"

"I remember everything."

"Now, you don't have to have an answer right away, I get that this is a big thing to ask, and you don't have to make a rush decision or anything, and like I said, I don't even have a ring yet, but—"

"Julian. Go open the top drawer over there." He does so. It's full of socks. "In the bottom right corner." There's a small dark-grey velvet box. "Open it."

A brushed titanium band shines up at him.

"I've had that for you for six years."

"Six years!" Julian meets his eyes.

"Will you marry me?"

"What? I asked you first!"

"Julian."

“Oh. Oh! Yes. Yes! Yes, I would like to."

Garak smiles sincerely for the first time in what feels like forever.

"Come here and put it on. Let me see if it fits." Julian slides it on and sits on the edge of the bed.

"I guess Quark will get his wedding after all."


End file.
